How to apply for free or reduced meal costs at your child’s Charlotte-area school
A church in Gastonia recently raised more than $26,000 to pay off the $13,000 lunch debt students had amassed in Gaston County Schools this year, The Charlotte Observer reported.
After a federal program that provided free meals to students during the pandemic ended in June, most school districts around the country require families to complete free and reduced-price meal applications.
Since then, roughly 90% of K-12 school lunch programs across the country reported a challenge getting families to submit forms for free and reduced-price meals, according to results from a School Nutrition Association survey released in January. Lunch debt, the survey said, affects more than 96% of districts that charge for meals.
To help cover meal costs in school districts like Gaston County, some students can enroll in free and reduced-price meal programs. One of them is a free meal service for eligible students who are enrolled in the Community Eligibility Provision program.
It’s a federal nutrition program that provides free breakfast and lunch meals for schools that qualify based on low-income/socioeconomic factors. But most districts now require families to complete free and reduced-price meal applications and non-eligible students must pay for meals.
In Charlotte, 13.8% of families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had an income below the poverty level, and 15.9% received SNAP or food stamp benefits during the 2021-22 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Here’s what to know about applying your child for free or reduced-price lunch:
What students are eligible?
For the 2022-23 school year, children in households with incomes below 130% of the federal poverty level or those who receive SNAP benefits, food stamps or TANF benefits are eligible for free meals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Family incomes between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty level qualify for reduced-price meals.
Which area schools already provide free meals?
There are 68 Charlotte-area schools in the district that are participating in the Community Eligibility Provision program. Each school provides healthy breakfasts and lunches at no charge for all students enrolled.
Parents of children who attend any of these schools should not complete a meal application for free or reduced-price lunch, according to CMS.
How to apply for free or reduced-price lunch
Families with students who attend non-Community Eligibility Provision schools should complete an application online to be considered for free or reduced-price lunch.
Here is the information you’ll need to fill out the application:
Name of students, along with their Power School Number, date of birth, school and grade
Your name, address and contact information
Income information if the student has a full or part-time job where they earn a salary or wages
Income information for all adults in your households, including earnings from work, public assistance, alimony, child support, pensions and retirement
After you submit your application, you’ll get an email within 10 business days with the eligibility determination. If you did not provide an email, you will be sent a letter.
Those who do not receive letters within 10 days should call CMS at 980-342-6041 to ask about the status of their applications.
